field recordings & soundscapes

About

Welcome to Sounds Like Noise. This site was originally set-up to explore Australia’s northern New South Wales region through a collection of field recordings and experimental soundscapes however over time it has expanded to include ruminations about sound and its relationship to our social and environmental heritage.

The northern New South Wales region of Australia is characterised by a richness of sonic-diversity yet with the relentless spread of suburbia it’s possible that the natural sounds specific to this region will be smothered by the blanket of modern [industrial] life.

I listen to the surrounding environment and question: what have we lost, where are we going, how can an understanding of sound help us appreciate what remains?

Thanks Marko – I use a variety of mics and have the luxury of living in an area surrounded by a rich diversity of sub-tropical sounds. My basic field recordings are mostly unedited other than fade-ins/outs, graphic eqs and filters.

Wonderful blog! I have done a piece of video poetry recently called Mirage (about a hallucination in the desert) and one of the most rewarding parts of making the video was learning how to manipulate and use natural sounds, such as the breath, or stomping feet, or pouring water, to evoke a mood. I was completely struck by the power of sound itself. I will have to spend some time exploring what you have done and collected to get inspiration. Thank you!

Hi Jay-Dea! I’ve given you the Very Inspiring Blogger Award because your blog is absolutely fascinating to me and has given me new perspective on sound. Consider this a big thank you and pay it forward to someone who has been an inspiration to you. If you aren’t into this sort of thing, then just know that someone out here admires your work.

Great blog! I came upon after searching for night time insect sounds to see if I could find out what was flying around with a twittering sound tonight. Night time wildlife noises are so great.
Lovely sounds and quite relaxing. Thanks

I just love the sounds you captured.
Only a highly sensitive person wants to do that – and actually do it.
I am following the blog and will listen every single track you are offering.
And yes, sometimes one wonders “who wants to listen these kind of ‘noisound’?” I dont know, but possibly much more than what we thought. Only that they are all around the globe.
warmly
Juan María

Hello! I agree with the comment made by donsolare. I love your blog. I stumbled across it whilst researching fruit bat calls, and in particular how to describe the sound their wings make. As a writer it is challenging to describe sounds in words. Recently I have been forced to think about the sense of hearing, which many of us tend to take for granted, along with taste and smell. My partner recently had a trauma induced brain injury and has lost a great deal of his hearing, smell and taste. The scent of the forest, a glass of red, a wet dog, toast, all the thousands of fragrances we take for granted. And sounds, to have them so muffled and distorted you can no longer enjoy listening. Our senses are wonderful, but so fragile. Keep up your beautiful endeavours.

Hi Ingrid – thanks for your feedback. Sounds are indeed very tricky to describe, our vocabulary for vision is so much stronger. Sorry to hear about your partner, it must be quite awful having to negotiate your way through the world in that new way.

I just came across your site while searching for a particular song so I could ID the species. Thank you so much for your recordings to listen to. I’ve had debilitating depression for many years and the beautiful songs you recorded, together with the accompanying writing gave me such peaceful respite for awhile. You have reminded me what is important in life, and I need to go back to my birdwatching or just sitting and actively listening to the birds around me. Pure and peaceful sounds. Thank you again for this gift.

Hey there,
I’ve just found your website whilst searching for a call of a particularly annoying bird that wakes me up early every morning.
I didn’t find it here, but spent some time listening to your recordings and enjoying your writing!
Mark